Auftragsmanagement
Also: Order Management, Auftragsverwaltung, Auftragssteuerung, Order Management System, OMS
AI-generated
Order management refers to the systematic control and monitoring of orders throughout their entire lifecycle – from capture through prioritization and status tracking to completion. It forms the operational link between sales, logistics, purchasing, and IT.
Key facts
- Order management controls orders from capture to completion and connects sales, logistics, purchasing, and IT.
- A clearly defined leading system – typically an ERP or WMS – is a prerequisite for seamless data exchange between the systems involved.
- Change management is a frequently underestimated component: cancellations, quantity adjustments, and schedule changes must be processable in a controlled manner.
- Real-time status tracking for internal teams and external partners reduces manual communication effort and lowers the error rate.
- The integration capability of an order management solution is critical – poorly connected systems create media breaks and duplicate work.
What is order management?
Order management encompasses all processes by which a company systematically captures, processes, tracks, and completes incoming orders. The term describes less a single system than a cross-functional capability that connects various areas – sales, purchasing, warehousing, transport, and IT. The goal is to route orders through the organization reliably, on time, and transparently, without information being lost between departments.
An order typically passes through several phases: receipt and validation, release and prioritization, operational processing (such as picking, shipping, or procurement), and status feedback and completion. Order management ensures that each phase is clearly defined, responsibilities are assigned, and changes – such as cancellations, quantity adjustments, or schedule shifts – are processed in a controlled manner.
How does order management work in practice?
In intralogistics, order management is closely integrated with the Warehouse Management System (WMS) and the ERP system. Orders are typically created in the ERP and transferred to the WMS, which derives picking and shipping tasks from them. Transportation Management Systems (TMS) then take over the control of delivery. This system chain only runs smoothly when interfaces are cleanly defined and the leading system is clearly established – a point that frequently causes coordination effort in practice.
Key functions in order management include:
- Centralized order capture from multiple channels (EDI, shop systems, manual entry)
- Prioritization logic that accounts for urgency, customer value, or delivery windows
- Real-time status tracking for internal teams and external partners
- Change management for corrections and cancellations after order receipt
- Escalation rules for delays or exceptions
What matters when making a selection?
When evaluating order management solutions or redesigning existing processes, you should examine three aspects in particular: First, integration capability – how well can the solution connect to existing ERP, WMS, and TMS systems? Second, flexibility in change management – many systems are optimized for the standard case but not for the inevitable exceptions. Third, external transparency – if customers and suppliers can view order status independently, this significantly reduces manual communication effort. Vendors address these requirements in different ways; a thorough requirements analysis before system selection is therefore essential.
Related terms
- Absatzplanung
Sales planning refers to the systematic forecasting of future sales volumes for defined products, regions, or channels. It forms the foundation for all downstream planning processes in production, procurement, and logistics.
- Auftragsabwicklung
Order fulfillment refers to the complete process from receiving a customer order through to its successful delivery and invoicing. It encompasses all operational and administrative steps required to fulfill an order on time and without errors.
- Auftragsart
The order type classifies an order according to its process logic and thereby determines which workflows, priorities, and rules apply in the warehouse management or ERP system. Typical examples include customer order, stock transfer, return, or sample order.
- Auftragsdurchlaufzeit
Order throughput time refers to the total time from the receipt of an order to its dispatch to the recipient. It encompasses all waiting, processing, and internal transport steps, and serves as a key indicator of the performance of a warehouse or fulfillment process.
- Auftragsfertigung
Make-to-order refers to a production model in which the manufacture of a product does not begin until a specific customer order has been received. Unlike make-to-stock production, goods are produced individually for each customer and demand-driven.
- Cross-Docking
Cross-docking is a logistics method in which goods are transferred directly from inbound to outbound transport at a transshipment point, without going through conventional put-away and storage.
- Cross-Docking
Cross-docking refers to a goods handling process in which items are transferred directly from inbound receiving to outbound shipping without interim storage. The goal is to reduce throughput times and avoid warehousing costs.
- Kommissionierung
Order picking is the process of assembling individual items from warehouse stock to fulfill a specific customer order — the most labor-intensive step in the warehouse.